Circular-knitting machine for knitting striped fabrics



(No Model.) 4 Sheets-Sheet L.

J BRADLEY. CIRCULAR KNITTING MAUHINE FOR KNITTING STRI-P'ED FABRICS.

No. 471,415. Patented Mar. 22,1892.

lNVE NT UR:

(No Model.) 4 Sheets- S heet 2.

V 'J.-BRADLEY. CIRCULAR KNITTING 'M'AGHINE FOR KNITTING STRIPED FABRICS.- No. 471,415. Patented Mar. 22-, 1892.

WITNEEEEZEI 4 Sheets-Sheet 3.

(No Model.)

J.B-RADLBY. OIROULAR'KNITTING MAUHINE FOR KNITTING STRIPED FABRICS.

No. 471,415.. Patented Mar. 22, 1892.

, & r

w.&. w l M (No Model.) 4 Sheets-Sheet 4. v J. BRADLEY.

CIRCULAR KNITTING MACHINE FOR KNITTING STRIPED FABRICS. No. 471,415. Patented Mar. 22, 1892.

1 I INVENTUH 'VVITN E5555 v 4W g g a l ams PETERS 00., more u'mo \vnsumm'on STATES PATENT JOHN BRADLEY, OF NORTH OHELMSFORD, ASSIGNOR TO THE BYFIELD MANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF OHELMSFORD, MASSACHUSETTS.

CIRCULAR-KNITTING MACHINE FOR KNITTING STRIPED FABRICS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 471,415, dated March 22, 1892.

Application filed September 15, 1890. Serial No. 364,977. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, JOHN BRADLEY, of North Ohelmsford, in the county of Middlesex and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Circular-Knitting Machines for Knitting Striped Fabrics, of which the following is a specification.

My invention has for its object the provision of various improvements in means for knitting a striped tubular fabric on circular spring-beardmeedle knitting-machines, whereby objections and difliculties now met with are avoided and overcome.

My invention consists of a stitch-wheel the working faces of the blades of which are provided with nibs to engage the yarn and carry it upon the needles under the beards, the edges of the blades being inclined inwardly and downward from the nibs. v

My invention also consists of a yarn-holder comprising a pivoted block so arranged that its free end or edge may rest upon the outer face of a plate arranged above the stitchwheel and so that the end of a yarn thrown out of action may be drawn under the block, between the same and the said plate, and held by the gravity of the block.

My invention also consists of improved means for operating the pattern mechanism whereby the position of the yarn-guides is controlled.

My invention also consists of improved combinations of parts incidental to the foreb Tli e invention Will first be described in connection with the annexed drawings and the letters of reference marked thereon, forming a part of this specification, and then be pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a top-plan view of a spring-beard-needle knitting-machine head equipped with my improvements. Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the same, but showing only a small portion of the head. Fig. 3 is a rear side elevation of the pattern mechanism aud parts of its adjuncts. Fig. 4 is a vertical sectional view taken on the line 4 4 of Fig. 1. Fig. 5 is a sectional plan detail showing particularly a part of the means whereby the pattern mechanism is operated. Fig. 6

is a detail in side elevation and in section on the line 6 6 of Fig. 5, showing particularly the means for operating the pattern-plate. Fig. 7 is a detail view, partly in section, looking from the center of the needle-cylinder, showing the construction and mode of operation of the yarn-guides, stitch-wheel, and yarnholding and severing devices. Fig. 8 is a view similar to Fig. 7, showing some of the parts in different position. Fig. 9 isa vertical central section through the stitch-wheel and a part of its adjuncts.

The same letters designate the same parts or features, as the case may be, in all of the views.

In the drawings, a designates the needlecylinder or head; b, the spring-beard needles; 0, the stitch-wheel cl, the dividing-wheel, and e e c the yarn-guides. landing, and knocking-over wheel necessary to accomplish knitting in conjunction with the other devices shown and mentioned have, for the sake of clearness, been omitted from the drawings.

The yarn-guides are pivoted upon a pin f in a comb-bracket g, and each guide is provided with a heel h, adapted to rest upon a pattern-disk 1' and be acted upon and raised by a pin or projection j, a spring 10, attached at one end to the yarn-guide above its pivotal point and at the other end to a stationary The push-back, presserpart of the machine, acting with a tendency to hold the heel it down upon the disk 1; and

to raise the forward end of the yarn-guide, as will be readily understood without further description.

The pattern-diskvl is provided on its periphery with ratchet-teeth,which are engaged by a pawl Z, adjustably connected with one end of a lever m, connected with a pivot pin or. stud n and provided with an arm 0, ar-

ranged so that its free end may be engaged by either cam 19 or p on the head a, and be operated thereby to actuate the pawl Z to move the pattern-disk 11 to the extent of one of the ratchet-teeth at each revolution of the needlehead, it being understood that said disk is adapted to be rotated on the stud q. Aspring 0", connected at one end to the pivot-stud 'n and at the other with a stationary part of the machine, is arranged to operate with a tendency holding the free end of arm 0 in contact with cam 19 or 13.

When the heel h of a yarn-guide is engaged by a pin or projection j, arranged in a hole formed in the face of the pattern-disk, as is common, the forward end of the guide will be loweredinto action, and when the heel h rides on the face of the disk the yarnguide will be raised out of action, so that with the construction and arrangement of parts as thus far described a striped fabric may be knit in any desired pattern within the capacity of. the pattern-disk.

It is desirable at times to knit a web of considerable length of a single color and to render the pawl Z inoperative in order that it may not be necessary to greatly increase the size of the pattern-disk i, and to accomplish this end I provide a disk .9, having projecting cams t formed on its periphery, which disk .9 is secured to the upper face of a ratchet-Wheel u, adapted to turn on stud (1 below patterndisk '5 and independently of the latter.

r design ates a ratchet-wheel adapted to be rotated upon a fixed stud wand provided on its upper face with a box as, in which is arranged a dog 3 so as to be moved longitudinally in the box in a line radially with respect to the ratchet-wheel r. A spring ,2 engages the dog y and operates with a tendency to draw the latter inward within the circle of the ratchet-wheel" c.

a designates a pin connected with the dog y and extending up through a slot formed in the box a: in position to engage the outer end of a cam-finger Z), fixed upon the stud w, and move the dog'y outward into engagement with a ratchet-tooth of the ratchet-wheel u, so that if the ratchet-wheelvshould be further moved the dog y would effect the movement of the said ratcl1et-wheel u to the extent of one tooth, when the pin a would slip off the canrfinger I), and the dog 3 would be drawn inward again by the action of the spring .2.

In Fig. 1 the dogy is represented as drawn in by spring .2, while in Figs. 2, 5, and 6 the pin ct is shown as having engaged the camfinger Z) and moved the dog out into engagement with one of theratchet-teeth of patterndisk '2'.

The ratchet-wheel c is adapted to be rotated by means of a spring-pressed pawl or dog 0 on the end of arm (1 of lever m, as will be best understood by reference to Figs. 1 and 5.

The pawl Z is provided with a downwardlyprojecting pin f, which extends into close proximity with or it may ride upon the periphery of the disk 3 and be engaged by the cams t, and when so engaged (see Fig. 1) the pawl will beheld out of engagement with the teeth of the disk 1', and the latter will be moved only by the action of dog 1 which will actuate the said ratchet-wheel u to the extent of one of its teeth at each rotation of the ratchet-wheel 1;, and thiswill continue until the pin f rides over and off the cam 15, when the pawl Z will actuate disk '5, as before explained.

The lever m is pivoted upon the stud n by means of a pin g, so as to have a slight rockin g motion thereon, in order that the free end of arm 0 may be raised or lowered to engage either cam 19 or p in order to shift the time of operating said arm and lever m to change the points at which the yarns are thrown out of and brought into use in the web. This movement of arm 0 is accomplished by a lever h, fulcrumed upon a stud Z, the forward end of said lever extending under the arm 0 and the rearward end being provided with a toe-piece j, extending under ratchet-disk it, which is provided with a cam-segment 71:, adapted to act on the toc-piecej and actuate lever 71. to raise arm 0 or allow the same to fall.

The stitch-wheel c is provided with blades to be engaged by the needles, and by means of notches, which form nibs l thereon, engage the yarn and carry the same in the form of loops under the beards of the needles. The edges of the blades below the nibs l are beveled or inclined inwardly and downwardly, so that the portion of the wheel between the nibs Z and the upper ends of the blades which operates upon the yarn is quite narrow.

By beveling the blades, as described, the wheel can be arranged at a much lower point below the tops of the needles than could be done were this provision not made, since if the blades below the ribs projected they would come into contact with the needle cylinder or head, and if this did not occur the blades would be sunk so deep between the needles as to make the wheel inoperative. This construction enables me to introduce the yarn to the needles and form the same in loops thereon before the yarn is carried under the necdle-beards and to bring the yarn into action without allowing the end to engage thebeards of the needles and accidentally press oif stitches, which it is liable to do in the use of the stitch-wheel as commonly constructed. By an inspection of Fig. 7 it will be seen that the yarn from the yarn-guide c, which may be supposed to have been just brought into action, has been engaged by the stitch-wheel and will be introduced to the needles the space of five or six needles forward of the line where the yarn will be carried under the beards, which may be supposed to extend down to the horizontal line at m. The inclined portion a of the stitch-wheel blades engages the stems of the needles and serves to steady the wheel in its movements.

In Fig. 8 the yarn carried by yarn-guide c is represented as thrown out of action and as having been engaged bya bladeof the stitchwheel and carried over upon a plate 0 in close contact with the outer end or face of the stitch-wheel and into contact with the sharp-edged periphery of the disk 12' on the outer end of the dividing-wheel (Z and cut 01' TIO severed. As the yarn is thrown out of action and carried over upon plate 0 it is drawn under a pivoted block q, slightly raising the same, and when the yarn is severed the block by its gravity falls upon the end and holds it sufliciently secure to prevent its accidental displacement. The so-called gravity-holder I deem an important feature of my invention.

It is obvious that changes may be made in the form and arrangement of parts comprising my improvements without departing from the nature or spirit of the invention.

Having thus explained the nature of my improvements and described ways of constructing and using the same, I declare that what I claim is- 1. A stitch-wheel for knitting-machines, provided with blades having notches forming nibs to engage the yarn, the portion of the blades between the nibs and the top being quite narrow and the edges of the blades below the nibs being inclined inward and downward, as set forth.

2. The combination, with the needles, yarnguides, and means for operating the latter, of a stitch-wheel, a plate above the outer or upper face or end of the said wheel, and a piv-. oted block adapted to bear by its'own gravity upon said plate, as set forth.

3. The combination, with the needles, yarnguides, and means for operating the latter, of a stitch-wheel, a plate above the outer or upper face or end of the said wheel, and a pivoted block adapted to bear by its own gravity upon said plate, and a dividing-wheel provided on 3 5 its upper end with a cutting-disk p, as set forth.

4. The combination, with the needle-cylinder provided with a cam, the needles, and a plurality of yarn-guides, of a rotary pattern- 40 disk provided with ratchet-teeth, a ratchetwheel it below said pattern-disk, a cam-plate s, secured to the ratchet-wheel u, a ratchetwheel 22 at one'side of the ratchet-wheel u, a

spring-actuated dog y, provided with a pin a.

on the ratchet-wheel v, a stationary cam-finger b above the pin a, lever m, provided with arm 0, actuated by the cam of the needle-cylinder, arm d, connected with lever m and provided with a dog or pawl to engage 5o ratchet-wheel o, and pawl 1, provided with pin f and connected with lever m, as set forth.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses, this 5th dayof Sep- 

